ost and locality over patient care. If this is the case, and there is no research done, the situation is inappropriate. There are many nursing homes that are understaffed, abuse their patients, and in general, do the patients a disservice. There are als

o problems with the state and other organizations that contribute to the poor quality in these homes. This cannot be looked at one sided though. There are many nursing homes where the residents are taken care of properly and treated with care and compassion. I will show the negative aspects of the nursing home industry and contrast that with my experience at Christian Living Campus.

In all these cases, there is evidence that the nursing home industry as a whole is suspect. However, this does not hold true to every nursing home. When I did volunteer work at the Christian Living Campus in Denver, Colorado, it showed me that there are nursing homes where resident care is the primary concern. When I walked into Christian Living Campus on my first day of volunteer work, I noticed their mission statement on the wall. It read, "The Christian Living Campus ministers to the elderly in a residential environment which reflects Christian love, respect and concern for each individual, and which enriches the quality and dignity of life for all residents." This sounded promising to me, but I was still skeptical due to the research that I had done previously. Even though some nursing homes are understaffed and abuse their patients, they all have a similar mission statement to attract residents. Despite my skepticism, the mission statement at Christian Living Camp!

Another study of abuse was conducted in public nursing homes in the Quebec area. This abuse falls under the category of misusing chemical restraints. Doug Brunk, a journalist from "The Family Practice News", states, "[I]nappropriate use of benzodiazepines is especially common in nursing home residents who are physically restrained or who have disturbing behaviors" (25). Benzodiazepines are anti-anxiety drugs or tranquilizers. They are used to calm down patients that are truly in need of the drug. In this case the residents that are being administered the drug are being abused. The staff at these nursing homes were giving the residents that were either physically restrained or those who had disturbing behaviors benzodiazepines to calm them down so the residents would no longer bother them. The residents assume that the staff will do everything to help them, and do not realize that they are being abused. The staff at these nursing homes needs to be penalized so this abus!

nursing homes have improved where the program is effective, but it is not widespread enough to make a dramatic difference.

United States. Special Committee on Aging. United States Senate. Residents at Risk? Weaknesses Persist in Nursing Home Complaint Investigation and Enforcement. Washington: GPO, 1999.

One of the sample states used in this survey was California. California has one of the highest abuse rates in the country. A report from Congress' General Accounting Office confirms, "One-third of California nursing homes were cited for serious violations that caused death or put patients in danger. Another third were cited for violations that could cause harm" (Rowland). That is 2/3 of nursing homes in California were cited with abuse. Some of the citations were more serious than others, but they all fall under the category of abuse.

k him about Medicare, funding for the home, rates and charges, and any other questions one may have. In addition the individual should look over the admission contract and ask about anything that is not fully understood. The final step is to ask to see the state inspection report. All nursing homes are required by law to present the report upon request. Look for major problems cited on the report.

If every one of these aspects seems appealing to the family member and the elderly loved one, then it is the right home to admit the loved one to. It is important to go through this process before one needs immediate medical attention, so when they do need it, the choice has already been made. The waiting lists for nursing homes can be up to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Living Campus, Financing Administration, Agency Aging, War II, Home Residents, Residents Risk, Beth Bastian's, Michigan Scanlon, Practice Inappropriate, nursing homes, nursing home, One-third California, christian living, elderly loved, living campus, christian living campus, home industry, nursing home industry, care nursing, nursing homes understaffed, resident care, elderly loved ones, home residents, homes understaffed, nursing home residents,
Approximate Word count = 3488
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)